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Solar Impulse 2 Completes Its Round The World Trip

Taking turns at the controls of Solar Impulse 2 (Si2) the Pilots Bertrand Piccard and André Borschberg succeeded in their dream of achieving the first ever Round-The-World Solar Flight.

Coming from the last leg in Egypt, the aircraft landed in Abu Dhabi completing the final leg of an endeavour. This landing brings full circle to the historic circumnavigation that began on 9 March 2015 when Si2 set off from Abu Dhabi with André Borschberg at the controls.

For maximum efficiency carbon fibre and honeycomb sandwich was used in the construction of the airframe, while 140 carbon fibre ribs spaced at 50 cm intervals give the wing its aerodynamic cross-section, and also maintain its rigidity. 17,248 monocrystalline silicon cells each 135 microns thick mounted on the wings, fuselage and horizontal tailplane, providing the best compromise between lightness, flexibility and efficiency.

Taking turns in the single-seater 3.8m3 cockpit, the two pilots have flown Si2 around the world in 17 legs, crossing Asia, the Pacific Ocean, the USA, the Atlantic Ocean, the Mediterranean Sea and the Middle East. A total of 19 world records were set or are still pending by the World Air Sports Federation (FAI), in particular when André Borschberg accomplished the first of flying five consecutive days and nights over the Pacific Ocean from Japan to Hawaii in the longest duration a solo airplane of any kind has ever flown.